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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · rush · trunk · bank · pitch · jam · cold · kick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kick — in football
  14. bank — for money
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com